Retirement incentives: Proceed with caution

Discussions about departures could be grounds for human rights complaint

By Liz Bernier

01/07/2014|Canadian Payroll Reporter|Last Updated: 01/07/2014

With the demise of mandatory retirement, it was expected employees would decide entirely for themselves when they would retire.

But the issue is a delicate one and a number of factors — employer preference among them — can complicate the matter.

A majority (80 per cent) of working Canadians still plan to set their own retirement date but many retirees (41 per cent) weren’t able to, according to the 2013 RBC Retirement Myths & Realities Poll.

That’s why we need to adjust our expectations when it comes to retirement "norms" and plan for different scenarios, according to Amalia Costa, head of retirement strategies and successful aging at RBC in Toronto.

"If retirement comes unexpectedly, you may have fewer years to accumulate savings or adjust your spending in order to better

fund your retirement. That’s why it’s important to plan ahead and to plan for more than one scenario."